conditioning

[ kuhn-dish-uh-ning ]

/ kənˈdɪʃ ə nɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: conditioning / conditionings on Thesaurus.com

noun Psychology.

Also called operant conditioning, instrumental conditioning. a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress.

Also called classical conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning, respondent conditioning. a process in which a stimulus that was previously neutral, as the sound of a bell, comes to evoke a particular response, as salivation, by being repeatedly paired with another stimulus that normally evokes the response, as the taste of food.

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Origin of conditioning

First recorded in 1915–20; condition + -ing¹

OTHER WORDS FROM conditioning

self-con·di·tion·ing, adjective

Words nearby conditioning

conditioned, conditioned response, conditioned stimulus, conditioned suppression, conditioner, conditioning, condo, condole, condolence, condolent, con dolore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conditioning in a sentence

Observers have pinned the blame on everything from age to nerves to poor conditioning.
How Serena Williams Could Finally Break The Grand Slam Record|Amy Lundy|February 10, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
The injury sapped his conditioning, and on those days that he did suit up, he looked sluggish.
Joel Embiid Changed His Offseason Conditioning. Now He’s Playing Like An MVP.|Yaron Weitzman|February 9, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Garrett Reid was 29 and was at the time assisting the Eagles’ strength and conditioning coach.
Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid involved in car accident that injured two children|Mark Maske|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
Although the postponement won’t bring the Wizards back to full strength, it will give the healthy players extra time to ramp up their conditioning and prepare.
Wizards return to practice with just eight eligible players — and have another game postponed|Ava Wallace|January 21, 2021|Washington Post

Three members of the coaching staff also tested positive, Massaro says, as did five members of the team’s strength and conditioning unit.
A college football coach’s season at war with the coronavirus — and his own school|Kent Babb|January 19, 2021|Washington Post
There are fans, but Hetflaisz never once saw an air-conditioning unit—and temperatures get up to 100 degrees.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had to throw out all of my American conditioning toward the workplace.
The Airbnb of Home-Cooked Meals|Itay Hod|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At 4:00 p.m. on a hot summer day, lots of people turn on their air conditioning at the same time.
Adding Vehicles to the Grid|The Daily Beast|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Conway refers to the other important factors as the “three ‘A’s”: air conditioning, assimilation, and airfare.
The Ghost Hotels of the Catskills|Brandon Presser|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bus had no air-conditioning and was filled with Arab families.
Gaza, You're No Good For My Marriage|Josh Robin|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a faint hum that built up all over the ship as the air conditioning came on at the same time.
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett
Frankly, if it would do any good, I might even consider breaking one or two of the laws, and the devil with my conditioning.
They Also Serve|Donald E. Westlake
Physical conditioning, systems of exercise, experimentation in chemotherapy are still being undertaken.
This Crowded Earth|Robert Bloch
After ten years of study, our conditioning was to lift slowly, so that we would realize who and what we were.
Assignment's End|Roger Dee
I said our air-conditioning system goes haywire and that we were ripping out a thousand old boilers and coolers.
Satan and the Comrades|Ralph Bennitt

British Dictionary definitions for conditioning

conditioning

/ (kənˈdɪʃənɪŋ) /

noun

psychol the learning process by which the behaviour of an organism becomes dependent on an event occurring in its environmentSee also classical conditioning, instrumental learning

adjective

(of a shampoo, cosmetic, etc) intended to improve the condition of somethinga conditioning rinse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for conditioning

conditioning

[ kən-dĭsh′ə-nĭng ]

See classical conditioning.

conditioning

Origin of conditioning

OTHER WORDS FROM conditioning

Words nearby conditioning

Words related to conditioning

How to use conditioning in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conditioning

Scientific definitions for conditioning